Original Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer to perform at memorial benefit

STROUDSBURG — Artimus Pyle, the original drummer of the rock band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, will perform at a concert in the memory of a Bartonsville hunter found murdered in Tunkhannock Township.

Lee Van Luvender, 22, was found Dec. 4, shot to death outside his vehicle near Upper Tunkhannock Creek. The investigation into Van Luvender’s murder is still ongoing.

Van Luvender, a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan, had a dream to someday see the band’s music, especially the song, “Freebird,” performed live in concert in the Poconos, according to his family. Pyle will perform with The Street Survivors, a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band, at the Sherman Theater on Friday, Jan. 4. The concert starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets for the event are $18 per person, with $15 from each ticket sold going to a trust fund set up for Van Luvender’s 2-year-old son, Sean. Tickets are on sale through www.shermantheater.com or the box office at (570) 420-2808.